


Reconciliation and hope

by Baobei (NemiMurasakino)



Series: Racing Against Time [8]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Boys Kissing, Crimes & Criminals, Gentle Kissing, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kissing, M/M, Minor Han Jisung | Han/Seo Changbin, Minor Injuries, Not Beta Read, Other, Pre-Time Skip, Reconciliation, Sleepy Cuddles, it's only a kiss, kissing scars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 16:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30075018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NemiMurasakino/pseuds/Baobei
Summary: ―〖 CHAPTER 08 〗―I.N opened his lip during his daily training with Changbin and decides to go to see Seungmin after passing by his door, not able to continue ignoring each other for nonsense.Changbin, him, was just trying to get him something to eat when he ran into Han in a dilemma that he couldn’t solve on his own, helping him out.
Relationships: Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Series: Racing Against Time [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037253
Kudos: 2





	Reconciliation and hope

**Author's Note:**

> ― TRIGGER WARNING : Mention of bruises (a lip opened and ecchymoses on a jaw), mention of past abusive relationship and kissing self-harm scars as a comforting gesture. Please do stay safe in your reading. ♡

**♢ ― CHAPTER EIGHT ― ♢**

**Reconciliation and hope**

* * *

Knock knock knock, 

After such a busy evening, Seungmin expected a restful and uninterrupted night. . . frowning when - _shy_ \- knocks were heard at his door. What was the point thought by the person on the other side of the door about being discreet if it was to disturb his sleep ? 

A soft and gentle silence calmed his nerves when the three more bangs he heard seemed to be the lasts, calming his temper as much as he could with the migraine that slipped like the plague in his skull. Raising his tired eyes slowly towards the alarm on the bedside table near his bed. . . 

Six o'clock, who could be bothering him at that kind of hour ? 

After seeing the sexual tension between Minho and Jisung the night before, he would not be surprised if the others were just as torn off and would probably wake up with a horrible hangover. But in a few hours, not right now, right ?

As he was about to rest his head against his pillow, a new, slightly more insistent thump hit his door. He sits in his bed in a hurry, a grunt resonating in his ribcage. 

❝ _Seungmin_ , ❞ murmured a voice he knew only too well, the features of his face relaxed. He did not get up as he planned to do a few moments earlier, sitting even more comfortably against his mattress. _Was he really in a position to face him at such an hour ?_

❝ _Minnie_ , ❞ insisted the youngest of their group with a weak voice. ❝ _Please_ , open the door. ❞

He couldn't just ignore him, not after that intoxicating month where he had followed Chan’s advice; _staying alone or not making others suffer by the stupid stuff he had done, Jeongin first_. If the one he loved above all else came to see him immediately, after they had ignored each other during all this time, he had to open the door.

❝ I'm coming, ❞ replied Seungmin, loud enough for the younger one to hear him and not to flee to his room where he would be alone, pressing his hands on the mattress and rising before walking to the door. Reassured and at the same time worried to see the shadow of the feet of his interlocutor under the door, at least it was not a twisted hallucination.

The first thing he saw when he opened the door, in addition to the light of the corridor low lighted and yet imposing enough to blind him, was the face of his boyfriend. _Did he still have the right to call him that ?_ A light smile was drawn in spite of him on his tired and restless face, thinking about how much he had missed him. . . and frown when he sees his the lip open, a tissue under the chin to prevent blood from flowing everywhere he walked. 

Pressing his fist - _a little harder than he would have imagined_ \- on the wall next to him to open the light of his room, he saw the boy facing him startling and tightening his grip on the cloth under his face. 

❝ Don’t be afraid, ❞ whispered Seung, arching his eyebrows. He blamed himself, feeling that their relationship had fallen back in its first days. When Jeongin still had too little trust in the people around him and feared any physical contact that, according to Seungmin, came from an abusive lifestyle from his childhood. 

He relaxes his shoulders and loosens his fists, gently raising a hand to touch his skin, then caressing his cheek with his fingertips when he sees him accept the contact. 

❝ I don’t want to hurt you, you know ? ❞ he susurrated softly, replied by a nod of the maknae's head which reassured him.

The taller one offered him his hand, seeing one of the frail ones of Jeongin - _stained with small red spots on the joints_ \- slip into his own palm. He gently stroked his skin, avoiding the sensitive areas, then moving forward with him into the room and closing the door behind them. 

❝ I woke you up, didn’t I ? ❞ finally asked the Busan boy, not daring to look at his boyfriend in the eye right away. Only looking up when he perceives his shaking negatively from the head. ❝ Don’t worry, you are my priority. ❞

Jeongin opened his lips to these words, only to close them - licking them to moisten them. Grimacing at the iron taste on his tongue and the pinching of his wound to the touch. Seung had learned to recognize all the small signs of nervousness of the youngest with time and made him join him to bed, making him sit on the edge and then leaning in front of him. 

❝ Who did this to you ? ❞ he asked, seeing the boy’s fleeting orbs. Answering a little more bitterly then, unwittingly, to a thought. ❝ You came to me because I would react less than Chan would, am I right ? ❞

The youngest’s hazelnut orbs finally joined his own, but filled with misunderstanding and anxiety at the same time, arching his eyebrows. ❝ What . . . ? No, ❞

❝ Hyung would probably overreact, it's a fact, but that’s not why I came to you. ❞ whispered Jeongin, sighing as he was shaking his head. He took the trouble to explain to him his now daily training with Changbin and thus how he had made himself this wound, and that he felt the need to come and see him.

With surprise, Seungmin did not blame him for this new activity, even if he had worry swimming in his eyes. He was doing well and doing it of his own free will, that was all he cared about. The light-brown-haired one smiled faintly at this.

❝ You let me take care of your wound ? ❞ asked Seung, caressing the younger's chin when the fabric under it was pushed elsewhere, this time having a perfect view of his wound. Avoid touching - _for the moment_ \- the sensitive area. 

It only took a small nod of his head to get up and open the door to his bathroom, reviving the dim light for a short time to close it and come back with a small traditional care kit. 

He laid the box right next to where Jeongin was sitting, not paying attention to his curious gaze and his head shadowing the light above his own. Digging through the box to get the stuff he needs. 

Raising his head, he grabbed his chin with his left hand and then applied a cloth of very cold water to prevent swelling after checking that the bleeding had stopped. He saw the features of the younger’s face twist slightly, a whistle leaving his lips before relaxing and letting him fix him. 

With a calm and focused look, he rounded his eyes with surprise when he felt a hand resting on his own. It had the ability to bring him out of his concentration bubble, perceiving the youngest's eyes in their turns attracted elsewhere.

❝ Seungmin, ❞ he did not have to answer when he understood what seemed to worry his lover, slightly frowning when he saw him approach his wounded forearm in front of his concerned eyes. He sighed, waiting for the tragic moment when Jeongin would look at him again. 

❝ Again ?. . ❞ his soft voice escaped from his reddened lips more sadly than he had imagined, pain tearing his heart seeing the worry in the eyes of the youngest.

However, instead of reprimanding him and reminding him of all the times he had promised not to commit this sickening act again. . . He laid a soft, delicate kiss on the red scars that were just beginning to grow smooth and become one with his skin, just like the old white scars on his second arm. 

He widened his eyes, not letting go of him for a second. 

He kissed each of them, not missing a single one. He then pressed his forehead against his arm, arching his eyebrows, before sighing and looking at the male kneeling before him. 

❝ Sorry I wasn’t there, ❞ implored the chestnut-haired boy, only to be answered by a negative headshake from his boyfriend. He stands up to push the rescue box and sits where it before was, locking his arms around the youngest. ❝ Don’t apologize. ❞

Jeongin sighed, unable to accept it verbally, but closed his eyes by laying his head against the shoulder of the taller one. Letting him slide a hand into his hair while one of his own arms ran his waist to hug him closer. 

❝ It will never happen again, ❞ he reassured him, laying a kiss on the top of his skull. Raising an eyebrow as he saw the younger Korean's head rising, his orbs crossing his, and then their lips brushing. Sharing a kiss. Not in an instinct of desire, but rather in a feeling of gentleness and comfort.

They parted later, sticking their foreheads together before Seungmin opened his eyes and offered him a tired smile, 

❝ Let's sleep a few more hours, shall we? I'm exhausted, ❞ he chuckled, and Jeongin smiled faintly. Nodding his head, taking off his shoes and jacket when the oldest went to close the lights, offering him his arms when he came back. The latter willingly hastened between his arms, embracing him before sinking into fatigue again, but this time between the arms of the one he loved.

* * *

Changbin was seated on the ground outside, his legs extended in front of him and his arms supported him behind his body to allow him to observe the rising sky without falling to the ground. The sun would not come soon, it was still far too early for its rays to warm the snow that had gathered around the manor. 

He wore no coat, only his steel-cap boots, a pair of cargo pants and a black short-sleeved T-shirt. He must have been crazy to stand out in such cold weather, but was warmed up by the relentless one-hour training he had just spent with the fox of their group. 

The little one - _now bigger than himself, even if he had always been so even before his growing thrust_ \- was learning quickly, he had succeeded in giving him various swings and breathtaking him at various times. Even offering him a pretty bruise on the jaw, frowning when he squeezed it too tight. 

At least, the cold would prevent the swelling. 

His dark eyes were directed at the sky, observing the moon slowly creeping along its path to hide behind the few clouds it reached. Making the few stars lining the sky shine with their best brilliance. 

Frowning, he was disturbed by a growl from his stomach and decided it was time to go inside. Wondering if the youngest had taken the opportunity to do the same, put on some bandages and then head to the kitchen. 

_Not that he’s interested in his schedule. Or anyone else’s._

He got up, lightly tapping his boots on the wall near the door before entering. He was delighted by the calm that reigned at the moment in the manor, one of the rare moments of tranquillity that were gifted to him. When the others were awake, they were all a loud cacophony not possible.

Slipping his feet out of his boots he pushed against the carpet, close to the others, but strangely not those of the Busan boy. . . He raised his eyebrows, only to then ignore this detail and stick his hands in his pockets while taking the direction of the dining room. 

He perceived a figure and simply assumed that it had to be Jeongin, entering silently into the kitchen to go catch something to get under his teeth. 

When he came back with what he might call a somewhat decent meal - _disappointed that Seungmin and Felix were not awake at this hour_ -, he was surprised to realize that the boy sitting at the table was not Jeongin, but Jisung. The brunet had his eyebrows frowned, taping furiously on his phone. Well, a phone different from the ones Bear offered them. As Changbin had noticed more, they all had in their possession untraceable silver motives matching, if they were not identical. 

He must have a personal one, too. 

❝ So drinking so much was worth it ? ❞ Changbin spoke without delay while chomping in one of the strawberries of the dish which he carried with him to the table, laying the bowl between him and Jisung. The squirrel, a nickname that had been given to him by the way he filled his cheeks when he was eating, raised his eyes with murderers towards him. 

Changbin was not the type to be easily intimidated, and he let a simple chuckle run through his lips when he sat down. Leaning on a leg in the nearest free chair, nibbling on the fruit. ❝ You hurts to see, ❞

The taller of the two, barely a few inches tall, frowned at him before sighing. Sliding his hands over his face, at the same time giving the little one the chance to see the screen of his personal phone for a few moments when he placed it on the table. 

He didn't have the best views like Minho, and usually had to wear glasses, but still managed to see some inscriptions on the phone. Such as the username of Han’s respondent, inscribed under the name of “ _asshole_ ”, probably a nickname entered by the owner of the phone itself. And a few words from different messages, realizing that they all came from the person on the other side of the mobile and that none had been sent by the squirrel. Also discerning that this one had however written a long paragraph, only to erase it and not send it. Suspecting that he must have dropped this step more than once already.

❝ So, who's that ? ❞ he asked, capturing Jisung’s surprised gaze. 

❝ None of your business, ❞ complained furiously the younger one, only to sigh and pout deplorably. Extending one hand by making small movements with his fingers so that the other male would bring the bowl toward him too, which he did. Allowing Jisung to catch a strawberry and crunch in it in a quiet sigh from the nose. 

He gave him time to recover before raising an eyebrow when their team’s information collector finally looked up to him again. . . watching him take a strawberry again. 

❝ A _slightly_ too intrusive ex, ❞ ends up sharing the younger one, swallowing the fruit. 

❝ Well, it's sure that leaving him without any words would come to that kind of stuff, ❞ he simply replied, despite the fact that he never had a relationship that could be referenced to the one Han was living right now. 

The boy frowned, ❝ Burning his house should have been enough. ❞

_He saw the flames dancing before his eyes, memorizing that liberating day. He had finally put an end to his problems, or at least that’s what he thought. Pretending to be dead by running away after burning down the house Nam-Kyu forced him to move into with him. No neighbours, no witnesses to his cries and screams that were a little too loud._

Changbin raised his eyebrows, this time understanding the seriousness of the situation. Not that he was necessarily worried. 

❝ Did he mistreat you ? ❞ he received no verbal response, but Han’s gaze was worth a thousand words. He nodded his head, before reaching for the phone.

❝ What are you doing- ? ❞ gasped Jisung, visibly worried as he lifted himself up from his seat, his hands pressed against the table. 

❝ I’m sending him a picture of me so he can stop harassing you. With a fake new partner, he should leave you alone. ❞

Jisung felt his heart stop in his chest. _Was it possible ? Could it work ? No, Namkyu was smart. He knew he was still alive somewhere when the police told him he probably died in the fire. He wouldn’t be fooled by a simple picture of an unknown guy._ Seeing that this did not seem to suit Han, he stopped his impulse. 

❝ He's not gonna believe you, ❞ silently said Jisung, unwilling to give himself false hope. 

The too many drinks he had taken the day before gave him a horrible headache and prevented him from thinking properly, but he ended up raising his eyebrows. 

Changbin had enough of waiting patiently and got up, grabbing Jisung by the chin - _without being too violent and causing a panic attack at the youngest_ \- before coming to firmly apply his lips to his. Han whined in the kiss, closing his eyes after the passing surprise and watched the ravenette retreat as fast as he had thrown himself upon him. 

What he did not expect, was to see a picture of the _moment_ appearing on his phone this time, with a small message. 

_〖 You should stop sending messages to this number. He has already forgotten you and has found better than a rascal who has only hurt him. Delete this number and turn the page. 〗_

Jisung gulped loudly, holding the phone in his trembling hands, watching the photo. The kiss looked real, maybe this will leave him speechless. And maybe the message would make Namkyu really leave him alone.

He looked up at Changbin, not realizing his now red cheeks, while the latter already had a strawberry between his lips. He leaves him the bowl containing the rest of the fruits, chewing his and then discarding the plant. 

❝ Do whatever you want with it, I don't care if you send it or erase it. ”, and then leave the room. 

Jisung chewed his lip, observing the photo and rereading more than twenty times the message that _Mogi_ typed. 

Even before questioning himself for the umpteenth time about the small possibilities of finally being free, _truly free_ , he was surprised to see he already pressed the send button. 

His heart was beating out of his chest, a drop of sweat rolling along his temple when the little hook with the word _seen_ was presented under his message. 

But no message followed.

As he wondered if his mission partner’s plan had actually worked, the screen of his phone was corrupted as multiple symbols, numbers and letters appeared. The message and the photo were erased, followed by a small ‘ _ding_ ’ leading him in his notepad. 

He read the little note carefully. 

_He saw your message, but he doesn’t have it anymore. I made sure that your mistake was erased permanently and that the authorities wouldn't find out that you're still alive for such a simple mistake._

_However, I hope that will be worth it,_

_Bear. :)_

Jisung felt a shiver ran down in his spine, remembering all the warnings that the head of their mission had already advised him. . . A smile escaped him, however, with a slightly nervous laugh. Noting that he had not been removed from the operations nevertheless and that the word had been passed to his harasser without unfortunate events following them later. 

Maybe everything will finally settle, and the bells will stop bothering him day and night. 

Perhaps Namkyu had learned his lesson and would let him regain his wings which had long been stolen from him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this eighth chapter, be attentive about the next one coming ! ♡  
> Please leave a comment if you have questions about the story or just chat with me about it~ ♡  
> Have a wonderful day. ♡
> 
> ― Yoon


End file.
